Do you know that fibromyalgia wasn’t recognized as a legit condition until 1987? According to the American Medical Association (AMA), that is the year it was recognized as an actual medical condition and disability. In the past, fibromyalgia was thought to be a psychosomatic illness, all drawn from “imaginary pain” and the mentality that “it’s all in your head”. We know now, that it is not the case, the pain is real as I have experienced this myself, and there are also solutions to help you suffer less.
Another misconception that people seem to believe is that fibromyalgia means lifelong pain. That isn’t the correct way of looking at it, as it is not a lifelong sentence. It may be classified as a lifelong condition with no cure, but it is possible with the right intervention to have your pain go in remission. Some other misconceptions include: exercise makes it worse, medication is the only form of treatment and there is no other component except physical causes. We know that and I have both experienced this as well, that fibromyalgia is both caused by physical and emotional problems. There is a huge component to physical or emotional trauma that can cause this illness. Fibromyalgia can also affect men, not just women.
What happens in the brain with fibromyalgia? How does this relate to pain all over the body? Well, there are parts of the brain that are responsible for fibromyalgia, one is substance p which is located in the limbic system. People with fibromyalgia have higher levels of substance p compared to those that don’t. Substance P is a neuropeptide that is a key first responder to stressors and stimuli. With fibromyalgia , substance p is very active and responds with heightened pain to the smallest amount of stimuli. Substance P, sends pain signals throughout the body and goes on ultra high mode with fibromyalgia. Substance P signals down to the central nervous system creating misfiring of signals that creates a high response to pain.
Now, going back to the limbic system. It is the emotional part of the mind, and it consists of several interconnected parts including, the thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, cingulate gyrus, hippocampus and amygdala. When I had emotional trauma, the painful memories got stuck in the hypothalamus. Anytime there is shock, or any type of trauma, it affects parts such as the amygdala, hypothalamus and so forth. This creates a dysfunction in the limbic system and when the limbic system doesn’t work properly it causes misfiring of pain signals in the brain. Limbic system dysfunction also causes problems such as anxiety and depression. Substance p is partially produced in the amygdala, so now you see, it is not an autoimmune or muscle disorder. When experiencing violence, abuse, trauma, emotional abuse, it creates a high “flight or fight” response in the amygdala. Theres are a lot of things you can do known to calm the limbic system including aromatherapy, talk therapy, use of essential oils, light cardio, meditation and much more. There you go and now you know.
There is a stigma attached to fibromyalgia especially with women that it is all emotional and imaginary. Women’s symptoms are oftentimes ignored when doctors diagnose fibromyalgia. There are physical components to it as well and causes such as, possible gluten intolerance, inflammation and nutritional deficiencies. This is all important to look at.
My job is to help you get to the root of your problem and decide the best course of action to take, who to go to, how to heal and so much more.